Do Valle

In case you haven’ heard by now, the cartoon cat, Hello Kitty, recently released her own line of wines that includes a sparkling, a sparkling rose, a red and a white.

Allegations have been released that this wine is marketing to kids, and I must say – I have to agree, but the company denies this to be true and several long-time Hello Kitty fans have stood up to say this simply can’t be true. (…. even given examples of things such as Hello Kitty Vibrators!)

The website features the animated Hello Kitty holding a martini glass and winking at whoever chooses that, “yes” they are over 21. The website comes complete with a full listing of wine cocktails Hello Kitty has created including the Bachelorette Belini and the Pink Kitty… both of which sound pretty delicious.

One must question, however, the claim by the website that “Hello Kittys Wines have proven that Sanrio’s delightful kitten had much more potential than its designers had imagined and had gone from a school product for teenagers to a global fashion brand for all ages.” <– this in itself causes trouble in my mind.

Having not tried the wines I can’t say if they’re honestly good or simply trying to market to a crowd who will buy them, but at a low price of $30/bottle they’d have to be pretty amazing.

So let us know – have you tried it? it is amazing? are YOU a Hello Kitty fan? Is this marketing to kids?

Pop the cork, there’s a reason to celebrate! Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) recently announced that Champagne and Cognac sales are on the rise from the last quarter, after quite the scary sales recap! Sales numbers are currently 20% higher in wine and spirits than they were and this is good news for both the wine industry and the Champagne region – though specific numbers were not available for the Champagne region.

Although the increase seems to be on the rise because of purchases in the Chinese market, the rising numbers means that the worried region can sleep well for now. Hopefully these numbers will represent an international trend soon.

Personally, I love bubbles and Champagne is, unarguably, some of the best – if not THE best. While it’d be nice to see prices go down, it also would undermine the whole idea of the region- in my opinion.

I suppose that leaves us with one question, however, would Champagne still hold it’s luster without this factor?

The creators of the Holland-based vodka company, MEDEA, recently announced the release of their message-on-a-bottle packages that allow users to input up to six messages at 255 characters each, numbers and/or letters, that will flash across an LED screen attached to the front of the bottle. Each message can be selected individually once the screen is turned on.

The folks at MEDEA refer to this system as “Ticking” (see the video below.) If the activity remains inactive for 3+ minutes, the screen will turn off to save energy. The screen displays the words in either pink and blue dependent upon your preferences.

I haven’t tasted the vodka so I’m not sure if it’s $40 price tag is an adequate assessment of the quality. However, the snazzy packaging and the built-in LED screen might make it worth it. The LED screen has an extended lifespan and can provide hours of entertainment (especially after a couple of drinks!) Just be careful not to stare at it too long or it might make you dizzy!

MEDA Ticking

In case you haven’t heard, the Austrian Wine Marketing Board and the Austrian Trade Commission will be hosting the biggest Austrian tasting ever to come to the US on May 5th in NYC (May 3rd in San Francisc0.) The New York City tasting will feature over 100 different Austrian winemakers as well as an array of foods from some of the city’s best places to eat including Wallsé, Gordon Ramsey at The London, Seasonal, Aldea, KLEE, BLT Prime, 10 Downing Food and Wine, Salumeria Rossi, Telepan NYC, Recette, 15 East and Granddaisy Bakery.

All proceeds will go to benefit the GrowNYC program, “Learn it, Grow it, Eat it,” which is a local education program that encourages teens to take control of their health through hands-on gardening, nutrition education, and community outreach.

The tasting takes place May 5th from 6-9. Tickets are $50 in advance, $70 at the door – but if you use the code AustriaNYC you can receive $10 off per ticket.

Tickets can be purchased through bottlenotes.com until the day of the tasting.
Don’t delay, buy your tickets today before they’re sold out!!

Rhone valley varietals are some of my favorites so I have a tendency to gravitate towad this region, especially when I want something filled with berries. This wine is 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah and offers a perfect example of how elegant the wines of the Rhône really can be.

On the nose I got a medley of blueberry and cherries and a bit of soft leather and a smidgen of spice. On the palate, the same characteristics followed through but with a much more structured character. Medium plus body with nice tannin and lots of black pepper. Great for a nice grilled steak as the weather permitted.

To be honest, I generally prefer a predominance of Syrah – I like the typical deep chocolaty flavors more than the soft berry flavors that come from the Grenache, but this wine was very good anyway. I paid $14.99 for this wine, which I think is a fair price for the quality.

A recommended taste